Sharing Prosperity in Philadelphia

The 2008 Great Recession hit Philadelphia much harder than many other places in the country, exacerbating already-increasing poverty and unemployment rates. Since then, the city's recovery has been much slower than elsewhere. In fact, poverty in Philadelphia is the highest among the nation's ten largest cities, and the city has a stunning 28% poverty rate, 13 points higher than the national average. While some parts of the city are thriving and bustling, others remain mired in poverty, violence, and failing infrastructure.

It is timely, then, that Mayor Michael Nutter's administration released a plan over the summer to combat poverty in Philadelphia. The report, entitled "Shared Prosperity Philadelphia," emerges from the Mayor's Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO). The initiative was led by CEO Executive Director Eva Gladstein, in consultation with antipoverty experts in the city. The New York Times featured "Shared Prosperity" in an article over Labor Day weekend.